Annual Salary
£14,000 to £23,000
Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Education or Training or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Education or Training or go back to all job sectors
Special educational needs (SEN) teaching assistants support teachers to help children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings; occasionally
There will be
5.4% more Special educational needs (SEN) teaching assistant jobs in 2027.
As an SEN teaching assistant, you could:
You could work at a school, at a special needs school or at a pupil referral unit.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.
You can get into this job through:
You could do a college qualification to help you get started, for example:
You may be able to get a placement working with children with special educational needs while doing your course.
Many people get qualifications or experience working with children in mainstream schools, then move into working with children with special educational needs.
You may need:
To become an SEN teaching assistant, you could do the:
There are no set entry requirements but it may help you to get in if you have:
You could get experience by volunteering in a local school or with a community organisation.
Volunteering can sometimes lead to paid work or a chance to get a qualification.
You can apply for special needs teaching assistant jobs if you have experience of working with children with disabilities or learning difficulties.
Each school sets its own entry requirements. You can check job vacancies with schools, local authorities and academy trusts to find out what schools are looking for.
You'll need to:
It'll help if you know different ways to communicate, such as British Sign Language or Makaton. It's also helpful to understand what students with disabilities or conditions need. This could include sensory impairments or autism.
The National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN) produces useful guides and runs training courses and events.
You could become a member of NASEN to find professional development opportunities.
Many teaching assistants have term time only contracts.
You can get more advice about working in special needs education through:Mencap; Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB); Skills for Schools
Your school will give you access to specific training, like British Sign Language and Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) courses.
They may also provide training on conditions like dyslexia or autism.
With experience, you may could a course to become a higher level teaching assistant (HLTA).
With further study you could become a fully qualified special educational needs or mainstream teacher. You can learn about routes into teaching from Get into Teaching.
You'll need: